Chronicle Covers: Muhammad Ali’s comeback a knockout

The Chronicle’s front page from Oct. 27, 1970, covers Muhammad Ali’s first boxing match since being reinstated to the sport.

Photo: The Chronicle 1970

He was the greatest, no doubt.

The Chronicle’s front page from Oct. 27, 1970, covers Muhammad Ali’s victory in his first fight back from suspension after refusing to enter the U.S. armed forces.

“Cassius Clay, sometimes known as Muhammad Ali, connected with a right last night early in his Atlanta heavyweight fight with Jerry Quarry,” read an extended photo caption on the front page. “Ali battered Quarry into a bloody mess before winning a third-round technical knockout victory.”

It’s clear today that The Chronicle was far too late in calling Ali by his chosen name. He had left behind “Cassius Clay” six years before and had accomplished a great deal as Muhammad Ali.

After becoming heavyweight champion of the world — “The Greatest,” as he and many others would say — he won a string of fights and looked to be entering his prime. This streak was halted, however, when he was refused boxing licenses after his protests against the Vietnam War and refusal to be drafted into military service.

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Ali was granted a license to fight in Atlanta in August 1970. A few months later, his victory was front-page news. Five months after that, he fought Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century.

Top O’ the Top of the News: “A fundamentalist radio preacher promised to flood Alpine country with ‘missionaries’ to head off a homosexual invasion. Page 3.” Forty-six years later, it’s clear the quotation marks should be have around “homosexual invasion” as well as “missionaries.”

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspaper’s history.